Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-12-14

brought. The punches were drank.
with sparkling wit and sentiment; and
then Alec. Aston took the cards.
Say! Upon my word, I'd like, just
for the fun Of 1t, 10 try few rounds OF
poker"
mo, no." said Hamilton promptly.
81 should be agreeable-in fact should
enjoy it-but Mr. Applebec is under
my friendly guidance, and feel that ]
have no"
"Hol' on, ole fellow!" interrupted
Seth, almost Indignantly. D'you s'pose
can't play pokerP Ho! shove along
the buck (hic), an I'll show your
Good! That's glorious" said Gus
tbs, happily. "We'll have nice little
time all to ourselves. And, say.
Applebee, old fellow, don't go to play
ing any of your Pumpton tricks on
u.s."
"Oh! PHI play square, don't you fear. I"
And they went at it. Seth had
found the elephant, but he did not
know it. He knew II not then, though
he had reminder Of the fact later.
He had fallen in with three confed.
crates, whose business 1t was to entrap
and fleece whomsoever they could
three black-legs of the most unscrupu-
lous yet accomplished character. Per-
haps a sharp-eyed newspaper man, or
a keen policeman of experience, might
have detected something Of their char
acter in their faces and general appear
ance, but the casual observer could not
have seen it.
The man called Hamilton had spotted
the victim when he landed on tho pier,
and had not again lost sight of him.
In his conversation with him in. the of.
flee Of the hotel he had learned that he
-Seth-had come to the city to pur-
chase large quantity of goods; and,
furthermore, that he would pay cash
for them. That was enough. The man
who had the cash for such goods as the
Pumpton merchant contemplated pur-
chasing was the man wanted.
The man called Gusts had been on
the sidewalk, and Hamilton had brushed
against him, as they left the public
house. Then Custis had gone and no.
tilted the man called Alec Astor. And
so, in the end, the elephant had been
brought forth.
At first Seth won small sums. Then
he drank another rum-and-brandy
punch. BY and by the stakes increased;
and at length came the grand turning
point.
A hand-five carlsbad been dealt
to Seth which was wonderful. Four
jacks. He couldn't let it pass. He bet
the last dollar he had. Gusts "saw
him." and "raised him" a hundred
dollars, that is-bet a hundred more.
Seth must cover it, or lose all he had
put on the board, and give up that
magnificent hand. 1t was by far the
best hand that had appeared during
the evening.
what do you do, Applebce?"
"Say-rve got check-Tll put that
down for hundred dollars, and call"
"Then you won't go hundred bet
terp"
Eyes. by thunder! will! 1 see that
hundred, and rll-go-go-Tll-go--
you five hundred better!'
whats the amount of the checkp"
Three thousand dollars! Irather--
| (hic) -think that's good"
"All right. Suppose cash it."
"That'll do"
The check was cashed.
The five hundred dollars which Seth
had bet was covered by an equal
amount, and Gusts raised it a thousand
more. Seth looked at his hand. Could
he let it go? No. He "saw" tho thou
sand-covered it with a thousand dol
lars of his own, and called.
"What you gotp"
GUSTS threw doyn four queens. Alas!
for Seth's poor jacks. But he would
not give it up so. His friend Hamilton,
who sympathized with him deeply, and
promised to see him safe through it,
advised him to have his rcvenge-to go
ut Gusts and Astor with all the pluck
he could muster. And he took the adj
vice.
He drank more rum and brandy
punch, and played on--played until his
friend Hamilton took him by the arm
and led him to his hotel, and went with
him up to his room, and put him to
bed, promising to call in the morning
and Elk matters"
The morning came, finding Seth
about as miserable and unhappy as il
is possible for man to be. He soaked
his head in cold water, and sat down
and thought After time he remem-
bered the scene-remembered enough
to tell him what the whole had been.
1t was ten o'clock before he gave up
the friendship of Hamilton entirely.
By that time the truth was known to
him. He possessed of his three thous-
and eight hundred dollars, just fifty
dollar bank note, which Hamilton had
put into his hand the last thing before
leaving him.
Ha! He thought, at length, of the
check. Could he stop its payment
Alas! he was too late. 1t had been
cashed not ton minutes before his ar
rival ut the bank.
| 30 ne went nome, ana after spending
q week in bed, really and truly sick, he
told to his old aunt the whole terrible
story. Perhaps the old lady did wrong,
but she felt in her heart that her dear
boy had been punished sufficiently, and
she did not believe that he could ever
again be led into error through the sin
of gambling. After time she gave
him another check, of which he made
such good and profitable use that, al
the end of three years, he was able to
pay back to her the full amount Of that
which he had expended in Seeing the
Elephant.
We trust the simple sketch may be Of
use to some who read it. May It lead
the stranger in the great city to be on
| his puard continually and never ac-